Happy New Year! As we celebrate new beginnings and start working on our New Year’s resolutions, there’s no better time to start planning your 2024 trips. Our travel experts have fantastic travel deals to help you start the year strong with a focus on wellness, from a city break during a marathon in Berlin, an 8 day walking trip in Jordan and a 14 day cycling trip in Sri Lanka!
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With just one more sleep to go…your first Christmas gift is here early! In this final 2023 edition of the Charitable Traveller Report, you’ll find the 20th edition of Charitable Traveller Magazine with fantastic articles, unbelievable travel deals, and a recap of how you made a difference this year!
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I’d love to explore more of northern Europe this summer with my family as a change from heading to the Med – I was thinking we could get the Eurostar then pick up a hire car and head to perhaps the coast of Holland and Germany, but I don’t really know where to begin. What would you suggest? We’re a fairly active family with two young teens.
Alternatively, you can travel by train and really relax. The coastal towns of Scheveningen (accessed via The Hague by train) and Noordwijk (via Leiden by train) are perfect for a few days of cycling and water sports suitable for your young teens. Next, head towards Germany’s North Sea coast, driving or by train to Hamburg, Germany and onwards from there. Spend several days exploring the Frisian Islands, an archipelago that runs along the coast of the Netherlands, Germany and into Denmark, including the picturesque Sylt, known for its sandy beaches and thatched houses. Here, you can indulge in hiking, beach activities and experiencing the unique island culture. They’re a little challenging to visit by public transport, but it’s possible by bus and ferry, from ports such as Norddeich or Dagebüll. Whether you drive or take the train finish your trip with a few days in Hamburg, a city teeming with maritime history and attractions.
Let a travel agent help you with the planning, hotels, car rental and rail too because you’ll have the accountability and support that a travel professional can provide.
This is a feature from Issue 20 of Charitable Traveller.
Click to read more from this issue, or more from Ask the Expert
With the countdown to Christmas in full swing, we’ve made sure to pack this penultimate edition of the Charitable Traveller Report full of phenomenal travel deals which are too good to miss, inspiration from destinations all around the world, and the latest edition of Green Traveller magazine!
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If you’re looking for good news, fun, and cheer to brighten up the long winter days and nights, look no further! In this edition of the Charitable Traveller Report, you’ll discover our latest episode of the Travel Insider Podcast, a fantastic blog from Lizzi helping you to book ahead and save big, and great reads from Issue #19 of Charitable Traveller Magazine!
Plus, excellent escapes for winter 2023, exciting updates from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and inspiring news from the worlds of charity and travel!
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We’re thrilled to announce that Charitable Travel recently won the prestigious Best Innovation Company prize at The Above & Beyond Bromley Business Awards on 9th November 2023. The award show recognised businesses which have contributed significantly to the local community, with a variety of award categories including Best Startup, Best Social Impact Company and Business Personality of the Year.
A full list of The Above & Beyond Bromley Business Award winners can be found here.
As millions of shoppers prepare for thousands of deals this Black Friday, Charitable Travel reveals which specialist sites are offering free ways to donate to charity – helping consumers give back at the same time as grabbing a bargain!
As the British public tightens their belts and reprioritises where to spend their hard-earned cash, charities are beginning to suffer as donations reduce. Previous research conducted by Charitable Travel has shown that due to the cost-of-living crisis, 71% of people have cut back on charity donations.
The most popular ways to donate to charity are bucket collections (38%), sponsoring friends or family to do a challenge (34%) and 28% (regular direct debits). However, what many do not realise is that there are additional ways to donate to charity which can be incorporated into general living spending, which can help charities maintain some of their much-needed income and with no extra cost for the consumer.
Shop & Give initiatives are a free way to raise money for charity whilst shopping online and according to Charitable Travel, only 12% of people are aware of these. Known as affiliate marketing, websites directing customers to a retailer earn a small pay-per-click commission. This can be a small percentage of the total cost spent or a set amount for each referral. Although the figures are tiny (could be just 1p per click for example), they can soon build up. Shop & Give websites will collect this commission and donate much needed funds to good causes. And in the current climate, every little helps.
The top five Shop & Give websites to consider this Black Friday and throughout the whole year are:
Simply register for free, choose to support one of 40,000 UK charities and select over 6000 participating retailers from M&S, John Lewis, Currys, Argos, Apple, Ticketmaster, WHSmith to easyJet and even Dominos Pizza. By accessing the retailers’ website from the Give As You Live page the affiliate commission will be donated by the brand to your chosen charity. Give As You Live has now generated more that £21 million for worthy causes.
The social-enterprise travel agency with a ‘Travel For Good’ ethos enables customers to donate 5% of the cost of their holiday to a charity of their choice via a Just Giving partnership. The fully bonded, online travel agency books holidays from a wide range of big brands and smaller operators and airlines including easyJet Holidays, Intrepid Travel and G Adventures.
The UK’s biggest shopping charity site with over 2 million users generating more than £43 million for much needed causes, with a simple message ‘when you spend, brands donate’. Register for free, sign up to support your favourite cause and download their Donation Reminder plug-in for your desktop, which will alert you when donations from over 7000 brands are available whilst doing your online shopping. You can then track your donations via your online account.
Nectar Donate is a collaboration between Nectar and Crowdfunder, which allows consumers to donate their nectar points directly to a range of charities from the Nectar app. Each donation must be a minimum of 200 nectar points (which is the equivalent of £1). There are no hidden fees as part of the scheme and customers who donate will be updated on how the funds are used. Points can be earned online by shopping with a variety of well-known brands via the nectar.com portal.
Launched in 2006 the Giving Machine have raised over £1.9 million for over 9000 charities. Register for free online and choose up to four local or national good causes. Choose from hundreds of high street and big brand stores from The Body Shop to Ebay or Waitrose, click through to their website via an affiliate link and earn free donations from the brand to your selected charities. Giving Machine also offers discount codes, charity raffle tickets with great prizes and a £1 per week supporters lottery.
Melissa Tilling, Founder and Chief Executive at Charitable Travel, said:
“Every year, online shops pay millions in sales commissions to websites for affiliate marketing campaigns, but there is a way to shop smarter and direct this commission to charities, whose services are increasingly in demand given the current climate, but their donations from the public are falling. Shop & Give is a quick and easy way to incorporate charitable giving into your daily life and the more of us that do it, the bigger the difference we can make.
“At Charitable Travel we offer travellers the opportunity to donate a percentage of their holiday to charity for free, simply by booking a holiday. For a family of four – where the average cost of a holiday is £2,000 – a free donation of £100 would be made to a charity of their choice, ensuring that travel can be a force for good.
“To ensure we continue to provide support to our beloved charities we recommend supporting Shop & Give initiatives in addition to direct charitable donations, as charities need our help now more than ever before.”
Founded in April 2020, Charitable Travel operates the same as other high-end travel agencies, with one key difference. The social enterprise will donate 5% per cent of the cost of the holiday – usually charged to generate profit – to a charity of the customer’s choice, via a partnership with JustGiving. Charitable Travel’s mission is to make travel “a force for good.” Whether it’s a city break or a beach getaway, holidaymakers can rest assured that their booking supports good causes.
After shopping for bargains on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, don’t forget Tuesday 28th November 2023 is Giving Tuesday, the Global Day of Giving. A timely reminder that charities are in need of our help.
Inspired and ready to book your next getaway? Check out Charitable Travel’s fantastic range of travel deals!
Welcome to the Charitable Traveller Report! In this issue, you’ll find unforgettable hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path destinations with the latest edition of Charitable Traveller Magazine, fantastic tips and tricks for your next Australian trip from our luxury travel expert Lizzi, and special deals for the Algarve, Portugal, a self-driving Route 66 adventure in Illinois, and a week-long escape in sunny Aruba this Christmas!
P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for your daily dose of travel inspiration!
On a recent European holiday, our return flight was cancelled while we were waiting to board the plane. At the time, the only guidance we were given by the airline ground staff was to go back through passport control, collect our bags and rebook our return flights on the airline’s app. We were left to find our own accommodation for the night and hope that the costs would be reimbursed.
Having rebooked seats on the next available flight, we then suffered the same fate and were left stranded in the airport at midnight for a second night in a row. We eventually flew home two and a half days after we’d originally planned, having paid through the nose for a flight with an alternative airline. We’ve always booked our travel independently as we tend to book with short notice and dislike the idea of traditional ‘package’ holidays, but this experience has made us think twice. How might our experience have been different if we’d booked with a travel agent and what would be the advantages of booking with a travel agent in future?
Melissa: In the unfortunate event of a flight cancellation, EU Regulation 261/2004 outlines your rights with the airline. You have three options to choose from: you may request a refund for your ticket, opt for a return flight to your original departure airport, or select a replacement flight to your final destination, provided the conditions match your initial booking.
If you book your arrangements through a travel agent and in turn through a tour operator we can support you, ensuring the airline honours their obligations. If your flight is cancelled at the last minute and you are stranded you’re entitled to complimentary drinks and meals, with the extent depending on the duration of the delay, free hotel accommodation for overnight delays, and transportation to and from the airport to your designated hotel.
It is true to say that the airline might not support you actually making these arrangements but your rights ensure you will be compensated so receipts and records are critical, and your travel agent and tour operator can support with these arrangements if you need that assistance. The idea of a ‘package holiday’ under that protected package does not mean the accommodation, travel and duration cannot be tailored to your needs, so forget the idea of a package meaning a fixed one week on a sun bed. Instead, regard ‘packages’ as entrusting your plans to a professional and then benefiting from the support of that professional when things go wrong, which they can even with the best planning in the world.
This is a feature from Issue 19 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
With Charitable Travel, you can perfectly balance giving back with treating yourself to wonderful travel experiences. In this edition of the Charitable Traveller Report, you’ll discover a range of breaks from Tallinn, Estonia to Copenhagen, Denmark. You’ll even get to head stateside with a trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey and the Big Apple itself, New York. Plus, fascinating updates from the world of travel with our luxury travel expert Lizzi, and an exciting opportunity to help tiny critters in Florida with The Holiday Volunteering Hub.
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We are pleased to announce that our founder and CEO, Melissa Tilling has been nominated by her peers in the travel industry for two prestigious awards ahead of TravYule next month. TravYule is a new evening of festive fun celebrating achievements within the travel industry this calendar year with 12 awards (Baubles) up for grabs.
She has been nominated in the following categories, The Perfect Year – Significant Contribution to the Travel Industry and Do They Know It’s Christmas – Outstanding Work for a Charitable Cause. You can view Melissa’s fellow nominees here.
We wish everyone nominated the best of luck and look forward to seeing them at TravYule on November 21st!
With Charitable Travel you can have the best of both worlds, the opportunity to travel to exciting locales all around the globe while supporting the charities you care about. In this edition of the Charitable Traveller Report, you’ll find phenomenal breaks including a 2024 February half-term break in Spain with big savings, an intriguing twin-centre break in Miami and Belize for 10 nights, and a York Christmas Market Escape!
If you can, please also continue to support the Charitable Travel Funds’ vital relief efforts assisting those impacted by the Moroccan earthquake. Every penny donated will go towards helping those affected rebuild their lives and helping the Moroccan tourism industry recover.
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Fundraising Futures Community Interest Company, Contingent Works, Broadway Buildings,
Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent,
BR1 1LW. England
Putting our profit to work supporting the work of charitable causes
For the latest travel advice, including security, local laws and passports, visit the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.
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